Longing to take control of her fate, the ancient, dying plant Zyra transferred her consciousness into a human body for a second chance at life. Centuries ago, she and her kind dominated the Plague Lands, using thorns and vines to consume any animal that set foot in their territory. As the years passed, the animal population steadily died off. Food became increasingly scarce, and Zyra could only stand by helplessly as the last of her kin withered away. She thought she would perish alone, until the appearance of an unwary sorceress presented her with an opportunity for salvation.
It was the first time in years Zyra had sensed a creature wander so close. Hunger drew her to the sorceress, but some other, deeper instinct compelled her. She enveloped the woman in thorns with ease, but as she savored this final meal, foreign memories invaded her thoughts. She saw great jungles of metal and stone where humans and animals thrived. Potent magic surged through her vines, and she devised an elegant but risky plan to survive. Using the woman’s memories, Zyra poured her newfound magic into the creation of a human-shaped vessel. She didn’t know what sort of world awaited her, but she had nothing left to lose. When Zyra opened her eyes, she was overwhelmed by the raw power ready at her fingertips. It wasn’t until she noticed the shriveled remains of the plant she once was that she realized how vulnerable she had become. If this body died, there would be no network of vines to retreat through, no roots to regrow her...but she felt truly alive. She beheld the world for the first time as animals did, and a dark smile crept across her lips. She was reborn, and there was so much now within her grasp.

"Closer to the flower, closer to the thorns."
―Zyra

Zyra, the Rise of Thorns, is a unique champion in how she uses her plants to control the battlefield. Though shorter in duration than Heimerdingers turrets, they're stronger in that they are able to be placed at distances and adjust in function based on what she needs. She excels in zoning people out with her seeds and using them in conjunction with her crowd control to effectively farm and keep the enemy champion from doing so. She can be played in a plethora of playstyles but the three different ways that will each be discussed here are as follows: Solo Top, Mid, and Support.

Upvoting would be appreciated if this helped you at all, this guide is still in it's beginner stage, however. Expect better images, usability, and information as time progresses!

Pros:

She excels at pushing people out of lane.
She has decent burst and high sustain with a

Rod of Ages
She's a freaking plant!

Cons:

She is mainly Area of Effect in her abilities and therefore able to be dodged.
Her minions are easy to kill.
She is weak against characters with gap-closers due to her lack of mobility
Her Ult is able to be dodged, especially.

Runes are entirely dependent on what you plan to do with your champion, I tend to go flat AP to give myself an early game advantage but for the sake of survivability, glyphs of magic resist are also acceptable as well as spell vamp.

(You really should ward, even if minimally), 4 in Awareness to give you that edge in leveling, 3 in Intelligence to improve Cooldowns, and one in Mastermind . Go to your offense page and put 4 in Mental Force for that boost of AP and finally 4 in Sorcery for a total of 10% CDReduction at level 1!

You have four abilities and a passive, as follows!
Queen of Thorns~ (Innate): When Zyra dies, she briefly returns to her plant form. After 2 seconds, she can fire a thorn toward her cursor, dealing 99 + (25 × level) true damage to each enemy it strikes.

This passive is not to be underestimated, think of Karthus but faster and with a bit more range!

Deadly Bloom~(Active): Thorns shoot from the ground, dealing magic damage to enemies within the area.

This is fairly Straightforward, it's a damage over an area, good for farming AND harassment, with a bit of AP, it also packs a punch, Level this by 9.

Rampant Growth: If Deadly Bloom hits a seed, a Thorn Spitter grows. Thorn Spitter attacks with long range and deals magic damage.
Duration: 10 seconds
Magic Damage: 24 + (6 × level) + (+0.24 per ability power)

This is one of your two minions, it's more ranged than the latter, but lacks crowd control.

Rampant Growth~(Active): Plants a seed. Cast spells on seeds to grow plants. If an enemy champion steps on a seed, they will be revealed for 2 seconds.
Zyra stores a seed periodically and can store up to 2 seeds at a given time. Once planted, seeds last 30 seconds.

This is what makes you so good at zoning. No one wants to go near your seeds. No one. Stepping on them kills them, but if you throw an ability their way first, they get hit with it AND start being attacked by your new minion. Throwing seeds in AoEs just before you cast them makes this a surprising move. You can store two, and leveling this up reduces the gathering time, I get a point in this at level 2 and max it last.

Grasping Roots~(Active): Sends forward vines, dealing magic damage and rooting enemies for a short duration.

This is one of your CCs, it locks down enemies after doing decent damage which opens them up for even more damage, or just your minions! I get a level in this at level 3 and max it second!

Rampant Growth: If Grasping Roots hits a seed, a Vine Lasher grows. Vine Lasher has short ranged attack that deal magic damage and slow by 30% for 2 seconds.
Duration: 10 seconds
Magic Damage: 24 + (6 × level) + (+0.24 per ability power)


This Minion of yours is less ranged but slows as well, opening up the enemy to more attacks from you or your other minions!

Stranglethorns~(Active): Summons the fury of nature, growing a twisted thicket at target location which deals magic damage to all enemies in the area as it expands. After 2 seconds, the vines snap upward knocking enemies into the air.

This is your AoE burst, it does quite a bit of damage, but the cooldown is somewhat high without CDReduction, use it as a finisher or just in a teamfight for the Crowd Control! With a Rylais, you are nearly guaranteed to hit the enemy with the second half of the ult!

Rampant Growth: Plants within the thicket are enraged, increasing their attack speed by 50%.

This ability also buffs all your minions, making them attack faster which in turn increases your damage per second! Don't underestimate your minions damage output!

As Zyra is an AP Caster, building AP is a must, however one must consider other stats as well, Cooldown Reduction seems particularly effective on her as does Spell Vamp. In addition, your role changes your items as well.

As an AP Middle, starting with Boots and 3 health pots is the best option, though a Dorans Ring works too for the added Health, AP and Mana Regen. I build those boots into Ionian Boots of Lucidity

I rush a Hextech Revolver for the added sustain but don't build it into a Will of the Ancients until later as the price of the item has been increased.

Next, I buy my Needlessly Large Rod and build that into a Rabadon's Deathcap as that gives me an edge on AP.

Build your Revolver into a Will of the Ancients at this point.

My next item is generally one for survivability, and as such my options are fairly open. Rod of Ages is for when you need a boost of health but haven't been overly focused. Zhonya's Hourglass is good for if you're being completely focused down in a team fight. Abyssal Mask is a nice item to give you more AP but reduce magic damage done to you.

After this point in the game, check if the other team is building Magic Resist, if they are, build a Void Staff, Believe me, it'll make a big difference, if not you get two slots to fill to your needs, consider a Rylais Crystal Scepter for the bonus health and ability to kite and chase, an Athene's Unholy Grail Will give you 40% Cooldown Reduction as well as nearly limitless Mana. Two Archangel's Staff will also fuel your mana and be fueled by your spammability. If necessary, build a Banshee's Veil to help avoid Hard crowd control, your anathema!